Phonograph.



' 'PATENTED DEC. 27;. 1904.

E. M. ROBINSON.

PHONOGRAPH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12. 1904.

2 snms snnm 1.

' To all whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES Patented December 27, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE M. ROBINSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PHo'NoeRAPH.

srncznzcanon fe -4m part. r Letters.

Patent No. 778,271, dated. Decembe 27, 1904.

Application filed m 1:, 904. semi to. 201.713..

Be it known that I, EUGENE M. Ronmson, a citizen of the UnitedStates,cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a newand useful I'mprovement in Phonographs, of which the following is aspecification in its best form now known to me, reference being bad tothe accompanying drawings, in which similar nureproducing-phonograph,

merals indicate the same parts throughout the several views.

' My invention relates to phonographs ;.and the object of my inventionisto so improve a particularly one deslgned for rendering music, that itcan be satisfactorily used in a small room.

While a commercial phonograph-reproducer may be operated upon thesound-reproducing cylinder 'or disk' record to produce music or spokenwords of low volume of sound, it has has been frequently demonstratedthat such-a device does not properly improve and round out thereproducedsound, and it is therefore "substantially universally the practice tosup-' ply such instruments with a horn. Such a horn is in practiceapplied to one side of the reproducer, and the vibrations from that sideonly of the reproducer areeollected in the horn. Whena phonographequipped with such ahorn is used in a small room without there being anyobstructions whatever in the horn, ,the tone of the instrument is muchtoo loud for the air-space-in the room. Where such instruments'have'been used in private houses, it has frequently been'foundnecessary in order to have satisfactory results to place the instrumentin one room and the audience in'another at some distance; but this hasthe disadvantage of compelling the operator of the instrument to remainaway from his friends and also to endure the discomforture of theloudsound of the instru- I ment. 1 As an alternative for this method ofstufling some sort of getting satisfactory results it has been attemptedto mufile the phonograph sounds by an obstruction, usually a'clothwadding, in the bell of the horn; but I have found this method veryunsatisfactory, for the reason that it destroys in a large measurethequality of the tone coming, from residing at Chi of the reproducer.

,may be. mufiled without fully described and claimed the horn.Furthermore, I have foundthat at all times the sound-waves from the sideof the producer on which the horn is not attached can be heard bynoticing them, but that when .the horn itself isfmufiled,-as justdescribed, these sound-waves from the uninclosed side of the reproducerbecome very noticeable and unpleasant, because they are not properly ingsound.

' The ob ect of my invention 18 to provide" means by which the horn ofthe phonograph injuring the quality of the tone coming from it, toprovide means whereby the horn itself will not transmit through itswalls any materialvolume'oi'sound,

'to provide means by which the, heretofore open side of the reproducerwill be closed and substantially all sounds produced by it be re tainedwithin the instrument, and to provide means for adjusting the pressureof the needlepoint upon the :record to'reduce the scratch.

My inventionalso consists in many details of constructiomwhich will behereinafter more as the specifica tion proceeds. I

In the drawings, Figure 1 isa side elevation of one of the commercialforms of phonographs having my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is aside elevation "of the details of mechanism for varying the weightorpressure of the needle upon the record-plate. Fig. 3

' is a plan view of this mechanism, taken on line 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 isa sectional end elevation taken on line 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a centersectional detail view taken vertically through the horn and reproducer,showing my the sound-waves within the horn,

bears too heavily upon the. tending to unduly wear the Y such asis'common'ly I 55 said members.

inven tionapplied thereto. Fig. 6 is e perspective view of an ordinaryreproducer. Fig.

' 1'? is e detail view of a plug to be inserted in the reproducer tubeor born to reduce the 5 volume of vibrating air passing through it.

5 be applied.

in 'the drawings, numeral indicates'the box or case of such a commercialinstrument having within it a motor or engine adapted to be woundupby'the operation of a crank 11,

so having on its end a handle 1-2. Attached to this motor 11 is avertical rotatable shaft 13, having on its upper end a permanent disk14. (in this rotatable disk 14: are pieced in succes- 'sion difierentdetachable record plates or #5 records 15, having impressed upon theirsurfaces the souud record either of words or music or of other soundswhich ere'to be reproduced by the instrument. Extending irom the box10'is a stationary support 17, having its end 58's pivoted post5?,bearing st its upper end a block or casting 4:8. Pivoted tothiscasting48'at18 isunother arm, 19. Either integral with or rigidlysecured to the end of this arm 19 is apusua-lly cylindrical case 20,

wholly open on one face, as shown, and opened .into the restrictedpassage-way 27 onzthe opposite side, as shown, having within itetepproximately its center a-vihrating diaphragm 21, usually of mice.Rigidly secured to this 4 mica disk 21,which will be hereinafterreferred to as the reproducer-disk, isa depending arm 22, adaptedtovihrate, having its lower end supported, whileallowing' freevibration, by the screwsQS, which enterthe depending rigid support 24,secured to the bottom of the cylinder 20. Detachably secured'to thelower end of this depending vibratory arm %2 by s screw 25 isadetachable needle 26, adapted to bearin a spiral groove in thesurfaeeoi the 5 record-plate 15. Inclosing the tube 517, heretoforereferredxto, is e rubber bushing 28, on which fits the born 29. Thisbushing, d8 rosy be secured either to the tube 27 or to the in side ofthe born 29 and slip along the-other of The'fun'ction of this bushing 28is to. makean air-tight joint between the horn and the tube.

In-the operation of'tliis-commerciel phonograph just described thepropellingmiotor rotates shaft 13 and the disk 14;, with the rec I ord15 upon it, under the needle 26. The

needle 26 is thus given by the irregularities of the pathof-therecordrunde therein at the timethle record itself is'nrei'ie a sidewiseVi" outed, through the vibratory arm 29;, hereto vi'ore described, tothe zproduser-diaphragm '21, which diaphragm vibrates and gives thesounds which were impressed uponthe record when it was made. Thevibretions of the front of this diaphragm are open, as shown inthe frontof 6, end the vibrations oi the other side of the diaphragm travelthrough the tube 27 and out through the born 29 into theairythis hornbeingused to collect and emplify the sound tones. When only the pertsdescribed are used, the sound thus ninplifiedby the horn is sogtreatthat except by placing onee ear near the reprodueer-dislr .21 thesounds coinin from the reproducer shown in the front, es'in 8., aren'otperticulsrly noticed. is volumeof-sound,huwever conling from thehorn'of the phonegrsph of ordinary size is, us hereto'inrodescribed,altogether too greet'for use in en ordinary roonnend it hasheretofore'bcen'the of e-wad of something, inthe bell of: thehorn.

dered unsatisfactory, end at the time the sound-waveswhichese'spe'ihornthe front of the reprcducer-dislr greatly-decorateeted. Under these eonditionsl elsoiind that even the neck of the hornadjacent to the tube 27 vibrates and so ds-out sour waves into the room.All oi t. care-conditions render the use of the instrument ulmostesunsatisfactory in e rosin ordinary site :1

when an uninuiiled horn used; in order to avoid these disedvnnteg -ns,lprovide the following mechanism: first provide e'cep32, made (in thecore-of e instrument shown) cylindrical in form to lit over thelinnge'QO, inelosing the FEQFC-Llilfifil illfili. If, however, thereprodueer d' lllL-l. red in a assent a difierent sh .e, t nap should bemode to conform to thet ope. l innlie'this cepof some rrlaterislywhichdoes not readily trens: rnit vibratory sounds, and if a substenee whichdoes not transmit unv such sounds'euu be obtained such subst ouldpreferably be used. in. practiced rile cap made of heavy cardbcr ntury.This cep'ilts upon the l ropredueer very closely, ins eutir it, 2redgezrnehrhll-l, through which the dopendr vibratory urrn pee end inwhich, it, n i'reely'vibrute. I also provide a un to engegethe'arrn 19.This notch serves as s guide, so that the cup will be in the someposiion, thereby insuring that the vibrating arm 22 shall be free tovibrnte in notch 34 with: out any danger or" coming in contact With-thecap I furhermore {ind it of great adventodulosethe elbow oi the horn ina nonsound-vibrationtransmlttins' tube 36, preferably s; thick-piece ofhose mane oi-soft rubber.

ry'motiounnu'tais comment I in practice l have f0" "l tlrt such-a pieceof insert on eighth oi: hthr ck As-sc on as this is donethe volume ofsound practice to stuff it muffler, consisting usually substantially allperceptible transmission of ing into the horn from thereproducer.

sound through thiselbow of the born.

In order to dispense'withthe muffler-wad in the By removing the born 29from" the tube 27 and substituting a ..plug of different-sized openings39 I am able to'regulate the volume of sound-Wavespassordertofurtherregulate the volume of soundwaves passing through theborn, I pivot at 40 -within the horn a damper 41, made like an ordinarystovepipe damper, adapted to be opened and closed either by an extensionof the rod '40 through the surface of the horn. or by an instrumentinserted in the bell of the hornytherebyin different positions of thedamper 41 regulating the volume of soundwaves passing through the horn.While I have used the rubber plug 38 with success, I recommend 'thatwhen the devices .are' made in commerce that a damper like the one-4Q beplaced in the reproducer-tube 27 in place of t p 'als Another greatdilfieulty in commercial practice lies in the fact that the needle 26presses W too hard uponthe record, thereby Wearing it H3 f. tuating inthe sound produced any irregulari- :ties impressed upon the record. In:order to do away with this difliculty,'I attach to the perm-19,heretofore: described, by clips 44 a out, and also, what is more.important, accenhorizontal member 45,-and I also inclose the casting 48with a,ls'uppl,emental member 46.

' To the member 48.1 secure, by means of screws 47,; another horizontalmember 49. These parts become when attached practical] ya part ofthecasting 48. In the arm 49 is a hole 50, and in the arm is a hole 51,and through these Y holes 50 and 51 I pass a bolt 52, having its 56 Byturning this thumb-screw 56 up and head 53 bearing against the pivotedmoving member 45 and having on its shank a spring 55,, bearing againstadetachable thumb-screw down on screw 52 against the'action of spring 55I am able to move the'movable arm 45 to and from the arm 49', therebyadjusting the weight of the horn and the reproducer upon the needle 26,and therefore regulating the pressure of the needle upon the record. ,Inother Words, the action of this device is ust the same as though'I hungavariable counter- ,weight on the arm'45 I When any of the commercialtypes of phonographs are equipped with these attachments justdescribed,1 find that I can, first, by regulating thethumbscrew 56 varythe pressure of the needle 26 upon the record, thereby decreasing thescratch, of the needle upon the record. I also'find that by using thecap 32 the sound-waves transmitted from the open much more useful. in anordinary room irrespective .of whether or not the other features fof thedevice were used. By using either or both of the adjustable devices 38and 41 I am able 'to reduce the volume of sound passing through the hornwithout injuring the quality, and I therefore improve the instrument.The use of the covering 36 over the elbow of the horn does away with thetransmission of sounds through the elbow of the horn and render's itstill more effective for use in an ordinary room.

By'the use of the above devices'here shown I can rcadilyconvert a largephonographsuitable only for concert purposes so that it can besatisfactorily used in ordinary rooms without its being distasteful tothe audience in the same room.

I donot wish to be limited as to the form of phonograph to which myinvention shall be applied. All of these features are by mere 'slightchanges in form as readily adaptable for a phonograph of the cylindricaltype as oneof the disk type, as here shown, without departing from myinvention.

I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction, whichmay be varied within reasonable limits without departing from theprinciples of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new. and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is Y record, a standard, an arm pivoted tosaid standard. carrying a reproducer bearing on said'record, asupplemental arm secured to said standard, a supplemental arm secured tosaid main arm, and means engaging both of said supplemental arms adaptedto vary the angle of the arm to the standard, whereby the pressure ofthe reproducer on the record is varied. I

" 2. As an article of manufacture for use ina phonograph a removable capmade of substan-' tially imperforate substantially non-soundtransmitting material, adapted to slidably fit over and cover one sideof the reproducer of the phonograph.

3. As an article of phonograph a removable cap made of substantiallyimperforate substantially non; sound-Y transmitting material, adapted toslidably fit over and cover one side of the reproducer of thephonograph,there beinga notch or notches cutin the sides of said capadapted. to fit over fixed points on a reproducer'wherebysaid cap canonly be inserted upon the reproducer in a predetermined proper position.j

4. In a phonograph, in combination with a record, a reproducer inoperative connection therewith and a horn attached to said reproducer,adjustable means within the horn for restricting the opening within theborn for the passage of sound.

,5. In a phonograph in combination with a 1-. In a phonograph thecombination of a manufacture for use-in a vrecord, areprodueer inoperative connection therewith and a horn attached to said reproducer;adjustable means within thehorn near the reproducer adapted to restrictthe opening within the horn for the passage of sound and otheradjustable means between said first adjusteble'means and the end of thehorn adapted to restrict the volume of sound passing through the born.

6. In a phonograph the combination of a record, a reproducer in'operative connection therewith and a horn attached to said reproducer;a. damper mounted in the path of soundweves passing from the reproducerthrough .producer, a horn attached thereto, a. damper onsound-restricting device within the horn and a substantielly non soundtransmitting covering inclosing the portion of the horn between thereprodueer and said damper.

EUGENE M. ROBINSON.

Witnesses:

DWIGHT B. Unnnvnn, CHAS. E. GAYLORD.

